440 REPORT— 1880. 



As "witli the exports, these selected articles form about two-thirds of 

 the whole of the importations retained for home consumption or manu- 

 facture — namely, 238 millions out of 347 ; but they absorb more than that 

 proportion of the increase over the previous year — namely 44 out of 54, 

 which is equal to four-fifths. 



Coming to details, it will be seen that this increase of 43*80 is 22^ per 

 cent, on the value of the previous year, whereas on the exports it was not 

 much more than 15 per cent., from which it is clear that the value of the 

 additional goods received for home use has exceeded that of the deliveries 

 for sale abroad in the proportion of very nearly 3 to 2. Of this amount 

 30-711., or 70 per cent., is owing to the quantities having been greater, and 

 13"09L, or 30 per cent., from better prices having been obtained. 



The first division in the foregoing table, consisting of food, with which 

 are included beverages and tobacco, is by far the largest, taking more 

 than one-half of the ax-ticles — 150 millions out of 239; and its share of 

 the increase for the year is nearly in the same proportion (22^ out of 44), 

 the increase itself being 17^ per cent, beyond last year's supplies. In the 

 I'aw material for textile manufactures — 61'35l., which is rather more than 

 a fourth of the whole, shows an increase over last year of 15"71Z., equal to 34 

 per cent. In the remaining class, including the principal metals, wood 

 and leather, 27"33Z., comprising one-sixth of the whole, the increase in the 

 year is 6'59Z., or 26 per cent. Dividing then the surplus between volume 

 and value, it appears that the increase of food has been 60 per cent., 

 in textile materials 77 per cent., and in the others 91 per cent, on the 

 quantities. So, in respect to the prices paid, which have been 40 per 

 cent, on food, 23 on textile materials, and 9 per cent, on metals, &c. 



It needs no very close observation of these figures to discover the 

 marked contrast they present to those for the exports — in that, whilst 

 those showed the rise of prices to have been comparatively little, these 

 manifest a decided advance, particularly in almost every article of food 

 proper. We have not only consumed more, but that consumption has 

 been more costly, as well as more abundant. In proof that this is really 

 the case, two articles may be singled out, sharing between them in nearly 

 equal portions rather more than half the whole increase in outlay. These 

 are wheat — the food for the body, that on which more than on anything 

 else wo depend for the power to manufacture ; and cotton, the food for 

 our mills, on which vastly more than on any other article we depend for 

 the maintenance of our power to produce that which we can exchange for 

 food. Of wheat we have consumed within the j'ear, or are storing up 

 for consumption, that which has cost us 12,000,000L more than in 

 the previous year ; and of this amount 7,000,000Z. has been spent because 

 our growth at home was deficient in quantity, and 5,000,000Z. because 

 that deficiency enhanced the price the consumers have had to pay. Of 

 cotton wool we have imported and kept that which has cost us 10,500,000Z. ; 

 and of this 7,250, OOOZ. has gone to provide the additional weight, and 

 3,250,000/. the extra price at which it has been procured. Of this addi- 

 tional cotton as nearly as possible one-half has gone away again in the 

 shape of manufactured goods, the other half being added to the stocks on 

 band, or consumed for home purposes. 



Thus far we have been considering the articles in which the country 

 has traded, and the money value they represent ; but an important branch 

 of the inquii'y relates to the countries with which that trade has been. 



